Figure 3. Actions of ACE2 on potassium, sodium and calcium imbalance and
impact of SARS-CoV2 infection. Created with BioRender.com
reported in patients with COVID-19 [26-28] and ascribed to
treatments with macrolides and hydroxychloroquine [29, 30]. This
highlights the importance to continuosly monitor and manage hypokalemia
and electrolytes imbalances [31, 32]
The limitations of this study lie in its retrospective nature and in the
non-correlation of lab values with disease severity and clinical
outcomes. Besides this, we believe that our findings are important to
better understand the pathophysiology of COVID-19 disease, and
especially sex differences in the manifestation of the disease which
certainly impact on better prognosis for women.
Clinical implications of this study are relevant from different
perspectives. Monitoring kalemia, calcemia and electrolytes in general,
is important in patients with COVID-19 and immediate supplementation
should be suggested. The role of electrolytes imbalances should be
further investigated also to understand the association with
cardiovascular events reported in other studies.
AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS
A.P., E.I., F.S. contributed to study conception and design, data
acquisition, analysis and interpretation, and paper drafting. V.C.,
C.A., A.B., contributed to data acquisition and analysis. V.A.F.
contributed to study design and data acquisition. M.P., C.V., F.D.R.,
O.E., F.C., P.T., gave critical revision for intellectual content and
contributed with patient enrollment and management. V.P., A.R.,
contributed to data analysis and interpretation, paper drafting, and
gave critical revision. M.M., contributed to data interpretation, paper
drafting, and gave critical revision for intellectual content. F.S. gave
critical revision for intellectual content.
TRANSPARENCY DECLARATION
The manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the
study being reported; that no important aspects of the study have been
omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned (and, if
relevant, registered) have been explained.
FUNDINGS
No fundings
Sex differences in electrolyte imbalances caused by SARS-CoV2: a
case-control study
LIST OF TABLES
- Normality and abnormality ranges considered for electrolytes 12
- Characteristics of study population 13
- Study population distribution according to kalemia 14
- Comparison between kalemia and SARS-CoV-2 infection according to age
and sex……….. 18
- Univariable logistic regression of probability to develop hypokalemia
for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection 15
Table 1. Normality and abnormality ranges considered for electrolytes
and relative HPO term